The Path Between the Stars
by Shini02
Summary: PreBeast Wars. Oneshot. Sometimes, lowlife's like Rattrap are just looking for an easy way out.


**Disclaimer:** I own no transformers whatsoever.

**A/N:** This is more or less me just sewing different universes together and seeing what I can come up with, without going OOC or too AU. Fun, fun. In this fic, Ransack is Rattrap, Landmine is Rhinox and Swerve is Cheetor, and Override is male because I like him better when he's a _he_.

With all of that out of the way, I _beg of you_, no one kill me for playing with timelines and characters and (Americanized) genders.

* * *

**The Path Between the Stars**

Suddenly, waiting at a busy intersection don't seem so bad. I'd rather that than this any day, because this is tryin' my patience big time. I don't know how long we've been waitin' here but I know I'm about to abandon ship and forget this whole thing.

"When's this show bein' put on the road?" I ask, leaning back in the chair I've been sitting in for Primus-knows-how-long.

"Cool your circuits," the young bot standing at the door way, waiting for our commander, says. "We'll get going as soon as Optimus shows up."

"Any idea when that'll be?"

"Should be any cycle," he, Swerve, says and leans forward to get a better look around the loading deck.

"Riiight," I say and lean back until the chair is almost laid out flat under me. I watch the kid as he looks left and right, takes a step out then looks left and right again. He steps back and does it again and I groan because he's starting to make me dizzy.

"Kid, sit down an' stop fidgetin' before I kick your skid-plate so hard your maternal unit'll feel it."

He turns to look at me and his face is this mess of emotions. I grin at him; if he's going to be part of the same crew as me, he better get used to that kinda treatment.

"Who died and made you Primus?" Swerve asks and reluctantly steps away from the door to sit at the console farthest from me, coincidentally the one he's been appointed to.

I snicker and wave him off, sitting up in the chair properly. He's got bearings, I'll give him that, but he's still too innocent and naïve for deep space exploration if you ask me. "Are you sure you're cut out for this kinda thing?"

He cocks his brow and crosses his arms over his chest. "Of course I am! Optimus said so," he says.

"Optimus says lots o' things. I recall one bein' we were gonna leave on time," I say, glancing at the doorway idly. "But that's obviously not happenin'." The kid huffs and spins around in the chair to look at the door again. Aah, he's hopeless.

"So," I start, leaning back in the chair again, "what's a squirt like you doin' on a ship like this, anyway?"

He spins in the chair and gives me a glare. I hold up my hands in defense. "Just makin' conversation."

He gives me a look then shrugs. "Why else? I wanna get out and do something."

"Life in the fast lane's not good enough for ya?"

He snickers. "Something like that. I just wanna get out and off of Cybertron. Things get boring fast here and the same routines get old, ya know? So, might as well go off into space with a bunch of bots for a couple of stellar-cycles – it'll be fun."

"Fun?" I snort. This kid obviously doesn't realize that we won't be the only ship out there and there's bound to be some sort of confrontation, sooner or later. Then there's the chance of some technical complications and – oops, there I go bein' the hopeless cynic again.

"Yeah, it'll be fun alright. A real blast, I'm sure," I say and he quirks his brow at me again. I won't rain on his parade, not yet anyway. I'm waiting until we're out in the middle o' nowhere, stranded or worse, where I can gloat and proudly say, "I told you so."

"Why are you here?" He asks and I just stare at him for a little bit. Why am I here? That's a good question, probably the first sensible thing that's come out of that kid's voice box.

I guess I'm here 'cause I wanna get out too. But not for the same reasons as Swerve, slag no. He's just young and ambition's gettin' the better o' him. He's got things he's gotta prove to universe. Me? Eh... I guess, in the end and after all the excuses, I'm just finally runnin' from somethin' I got myself into. Sorta. It's not entirely my fault, the other bot had somethin' to do with this whole mess. He just don't care.

Who's he? Just another bot livin' in the ultra-fast lane with a pretty face and a reputation to keep. Override's got his fans, his admirers and the bots that'd love to see him scraped. I wasn't any o' that, I'm too old to play those kinds o' kid games. I was just another face in the crowd, occasionally on the track, tryin' to catch his attention and score once or twice. It's needless to say things didn't work out that way.

Not that I really care, I can live with bein' turned down a few dozen times. I'm too old to play kid games when it comes to affection and I'm too old to give a slag about bein' rejected. I ain't in love with the speedster and there's plenty o' bots out there for the takin'. It just so happens none o' the bots on Cybertron or Velocitron are the one I'm lookin' for.

Slag, I ain't even lookin' for any sorta real relationship. If it happens, it happens. If it don't, life goes on. But honestly, anythin' steady sounds like too much of a hassle now, ya know what I'm sayin'? I got enough trouble lookin' out for me, I don't need another bot hangin' all over me t'boot. And sure as the Inferno, I don't wanna get all dependent on another bot. I might be some sorta sleaze on the run but do I have some dignity left in me.

Maybe I'll find what I'm lookin' for wherever we end up. Not that I'm lookin' for much, just somethin' quick and painless; somethin' with no proclamations o' love and all that corny slag that binds sparks together forever an' beyond. That ain't for me. Maybe I'll find that, maybe I won't – either way I ain't expectin' much outta this trip except for a one-way ticket outta here for a good, long time.

In the end, the trip'll give me somethin' to do with myself. It'll take my mind offa the things that _don't_ really matter and I'll forget the mechs that _shouldn't_ matter. I hope. And let's just say if things don't go that way, I'm hopin' Optimus has refunds on this trip. 'Cause you can bet your skid-plate there's no way I'm gonna stay out in the middle of space if it doesn't do me any good.

"Hello?" Swerve's in front of me, waving a hand in front of my face. I slap his hand away and blink, collecting my thoughts.

"I guess I'm just lookin' for a way outta this place and this just so happens t'be the cheapest way," I tell him.

He smirks. "Life in the fast lane isn't good enough for you?"

I laugh loud and bold in his face. "Ooh, kid, you're a riot." I grin up at him and he cocks his brow again. "Y'see, s'the other way around: life in the fast lane's _too_ good for me. I'm lookin' for somethin' in a slower lane with a few curves and detours thrown in for kicks, catch my drift?"

"Oh," he says, scrunching up his face, "I see."

"Nah, ya don't."

He smiles sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck. "Ok, so you're right. I don't really understand any of that." He screws up his face and his expression makes me snicker. "I mean... when bots sign up for these sorts of things, isn't it because they wanna do something out of the ordinary? Because they want some sort of excitement in their lives?"

"Sometimes," I tell him and straighten up in the chair. He obviously doesn't realize that Optimus is doing this because he wants to go explorin' for the sake of doin' so; he has to live up to his name's sake, after all. The other crew member, Landmine, is in this for the science and discovery. Then there's the stasis pods on board, and they just don't have much say in the matter.

"And sometimes, lowlifes like me are just lookin' for an easy way out."

He opens his mouth to speak but when Optimus comes on board, finally, our conversation's forgotten. I snicker as our fearless leader has to pry the kid away from him and sit him down again. Then I notice Landmine sit beside me at another console.

"You sure you're ready for this?" He asks and I wave him off.

"Ask me again when we get wherever we're goin'," I tell him and he shakes his head, givin' me this little smirk. "If we get wherever we're goin'," I correct myself and grin.

"Ransack," Optimus scolds me and I lean back in the chair to look at him.

"Forgive me for not being hopelessly optimistic, oh Fearless One," I say and he glares. I grin again and lean back up; Landmine shakes his head again.

"Don't you gimme that," I tell him and prod his shoulder.

"I won't 'give you that' if you try a little harder to enjoy yourself," he tells me, grabbing my hand and shoving it away.

I sigh. There's just no pleasin' some bots. "Take me to the moon an' back, already. Let's just go before I change my mind and sign offa this stupid field trip."

"There's the door," Optimus muses. Swerve snickers.

"Oh, you slay me. You should be leadin' some comedy club insteada this crew, you'd be a real hit."

"Shut up, Ransack," Optimus says and runs his hand over his face.

I spin around in the chair and salute our commander, "sir, yes, sir!" Landmine turns the chair around again and I smirk at him.

"This is gonna be a very long trip," Landmine mumbles and closes the door with the push of a button on his console.

I turn on the monitor in front of me. "The longer the better," I conclude as the ship starts to lift off.

"Speak for yourself," Landmine chuckles. I wave him off and look at the monitor. As we get airborne, I see a couple faces I recognize, namely a few femmes I had some interestin' times with. Made memories with them they'll never forget, memories I'm eager to replace.

I look passed the crowd, doing a scan for one certain mech, just to spite myself one more time. He ain't there and I'm not surprised – Override's got better things to do than come to another planet just to see an exploration ship off. Figures, really. But I'm glad he ain't there. Seein' him probably woulda made me give this whole thing some sorta last minute second thoughts.

Slag, just get me _outta_ here.

-End


End file.
